Armina Howada Mussa
Armina Howada Mussa (b. 1990) is a sculptor based in Baltimore, MD. Her work centers on the creation of contemporary artifacts that explore the tension between ancient and modern narratives. Rooted in clay and expanded through installation, her practice engages the tactile and symbolic power of material to examine the forces—both active and passive—that shape our existence. Each sculpture becomes a record of her hands’ echo, a vessel of personal and collective memory that carries the imprint of her bloodline.
Mussa’s work will be included in Black Clay: Black Women, Ceramics and Contemporary Art, an upcoming Yale University Press publication edited by Dr. Jareh Das (2027), which surveys the vital contributions of Black women to contemporary ceramics. She has exhibited widely, with past group exhibitions including Earthly Pleasures at Deli Gallery in New York (2023), Within + Without at Unit London (2023), and a group show at Corvi-Mora in London featuring artists such as Toyin Ojih Odutola and Jennifer Packer (2023). Her work has also been included in Future Ancestors, curated by Aisha Harrison at Baltimore Clayworks (2022), as well as Round 48: Beyond Social Practice at Project Row Houses in Houston (2018). Mussa’s upcoming solo exhibition at Hannah Traore Gallery in New York is scheduled for 2025.
Armina Howada Mussa (b. 1990) is a sculptor based in Baltimore, MD. Her work centers on the creation of contemporary artifacts that explore the tension between ancient and modern narratives. Rooted in clay and expanded through installation, her practice engages the tactile and symbolic power of material to examine the forces—both active and passive—that shape our existence. Each sculpture becomes a record of her hands’ echo, a vessel of personal and collective memory that carries the imprint of her bloodline.
Mussa’s work will be included in Black Clay: Black Women, Ceramics and Contemporary Art, an upcoming Yale University Press publication edited by Dr. Jareh Das (2027), which surveys the vital contributions of Black women to contemporary ceramics. She has exhibited widely, with past group exhibitions including Earthly Pleasures at Deli Gallery in New York (2023), Within + Without at Unit London (2023), and a group show at Corvi-Mora in London featuring artists such as Toyin Ojih Odutola and Jennifer Packer (2023). Her work has also been included in Future Ancestors, curated by Aisha Harrison at Baltimore Clayworks (2022), as well as Round 48: Beyond Social Practice at Project Row Houses in Houston (2018). Mussa’s upcoming solo exhibition at Hannah Traore Gallery in New York is scheduled for 2025.
ARTIST CV
01. Education
Uzumako Ceramic Art School, Tokyo, Japan (2016) — One-month intensive ceramics study
Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA (2019) — Ceramics
Solo Exhibitions
—Hannah Traore Gallery (2025, Upcoming)
01. Education
Uzumako Ceramic Art School, Tokyo, Japan (2016) — One-month intensive ceramics study
Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA (2019) — Ceramics
Solo Exhibitions
—Hannah Traore Gallery (2025, Upcoming)
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023
︎︎︎ Earthly Pleasures at The Deli Gallery, New York, NY 07.28.23 - 08.18.23
2023
︎︎︎ “Armina Howada Mussa, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Jennifer Packer, Jem Perucchini, Anika Roach, Lynette Yiadom- Boakye” at Corvi-Mora, London, UK
01.20.23 - 02.25.23
2023
︎︎︎Within + Without curated by
Ferrer Gipson, at Unit London, Mayfair, London, UK
03.07.23 - 04.25.23
2023
︎︎︎ Future Ancestors curated by Aisha Harrison, at Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore MD
2018
︎︎︎
Round 48: Beyond Social Practice curated by Ryan Dennis, Project Row Houses, Houston, TX
10.13.19 - 01.17.19
2014
︎︎︎
Mark of The Feminine curated by Regina Basha, Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
08.02.14 - 10.04.14
Selected Projects
—Curator, BIWA Film Program
︎︎︎ Sculpting Time: A Cinematic Exploration of Form, The Parkway Theater, Baltimore, MD (August 2025)
2023
︎︎︎ Earthly Pleasures at The Deli Gallery, New York, NY 07.28.23 - 08.18.23
2023
︎︎︎ “Armina Howada Mussa, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Jennifer Packer, Jem Perucchini, Anika Roach, Lynette Yiadom- Boakye” at Corvi-Mora, London, UK
01.20.23 - 02.25.23
2023
︎︎︎Within + Without curated by
Ferrer Gipson, at Unit London, Mayfair, London, UK
03.07.23 - 04.25.23
2023
︎︎︎ Future Ancestors curated by Aisha Harrison, at Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore MD
2018
︎︎︎
Round 48: Beyond Social Practice curated by Ryan Dennis, Project Row Houses, Houston, TX
10.13.19 - 01.17.19
2014
︎︎︎
Mark of The Feminine curated by Regina Basha, Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
08.02.14 - 10.04.14
Selected Projects
—Curator, BIWA Film Program
︎︎︎ Sculpting Time: A Cinematic Exploration of Form, The Parkway Theater, Baltimore, MD (August 2025)
Residencies
02. Saint Heron Ceramic Residency, Women In Motion, Kering, Brooklyn NY (2022)
03. Project Row Houses, Houston, TX (2018)
Lectures
04. IKEA Democratic Design Days, Press interview, Älmhult, Sweden (2019)
05. Creativity & Connections: How Tech & Storytelling Make Meaning lecture, Mercedes-Benz Convention x SXSW, Stockholm, Sweden (2019)
Print & Press
06. Jareh Das/ Black Clay: Black Women, Ceramics and Contemporary Art publication, Yale University Press (2027, Upcoming)
07. BmoreArt: "Sculpting Time, A Cinematic Exploration of Form," curated by Armina Howada Mussa (2025)
08. Artnet News: A Show at Unit London Presents New Approaches to Ceramics and Textiles, Reassessing What Is Considered ‘Women’s Work’, The Mark of Psychic Wounds (2020) in the exhibition Within + Without at Unit London (2023)
09. bookart.ca + The Underground Museum: Unknown, Wyoming by Armina Mussa, Photobook (2017)
02. Saint Heron Ceramic Residency, Women In Motion, Kering, Brooklyn NY (2022)
03. Project Row Houses, Houston, TX (2018)
Lectures
04. IKEA Democratic Design Days, Press interview, Älmhult, Sweden (2019)
05. Creativity & Connections: How Tech & Storytelling Make Meaning lecture, Mercedes-Benz Convention x SXSW, Stockholm, Sweden (2019)
Print & Press
06. Jareh Das/ Black Clay: Black Women, Ceramics and Contemporary Art publication, Yale University Press (2027, Upcoming)
07. BmoreArt: "Sculpting Time, A Cinematic Exploration of Form," curated by Armina Howada Mussa (2025)
08. Artnet News: A Show at Unit London Presents New Approaches to Ceramics and Textiles, Reassessing What Is Considered ‘Women’s Work’, The Mark of Psychic Wounds (2020) in the exhibition Within + Without at Unit London (2023)
09. bookart.ca + The Underground Museum: Unknown, Wyoming by Armina Mussa, Photobook (2017)